Kids may not always get the humor, but the multigenerational aspects make this a good choice for reading aloud.
A short lesson in Yiddish introduces tsuris (big problems) and kvetching (complaining) to a young, dinosaur-loving audience in this humorous debut from author Joseph and illustrator Case (Puppy Drama, 2016, etc.).
In Joseph’s first-person narration, he explains how, in his Bronx neighborhood, his relatives competed over who had the worst tsuris. Joseph used that lifelong “tsuris training” to develop a tale for his daughter. According to Joseph, when all the other dinosaurs went extinct, the smallest, most dangerous dinosaur survived: the TyrantoCrankaTsuris. When she got sick of how the other dinosaurs bragged about their strength, she let out a wail of complaints that sent the other dinosaurs packing. Her complaints even made the whole planet go dark! Luckily, one other dinosaur, the TyrantoKvetchaTsuris, survived as well, and the pair became the ancestors of humanity. Joseph uses the tall tale to explain that humans should never get too cranky or complain too loudly or they might cause yet another creature’s extinction. Fictional science aside, the delivery and repetition of the real kvetching from Joseph’s family in the TyrantoKvetchaTsuris’ litany of complaints will be laugh-out-loud funny for adults, who may have to translate it for their kids. Case’s cartoonish caricatures and silly saurians, all set against simple backgrounds, capture the comical tone.
Kids may not always get the humor, but the multigenerational aspects make this a good choice for reading aloud.Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64307-157-2
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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